Founder - Rabbi Avi Leibovic, Esq.
Rabbi Avi Leibovic, Esq. is the Founder/Executive Director of Aish Tamid and Pardes Academy, a practicing attorney and a former avid heavy metal guitar player. He has literally gone "from Rocker to Rabbi", and uses his previous life experiences to relate to and inspire the most disenfranchised students.
Under his vision, Aish Tamid has become the primary address and resource within the Los Angeles Orthodox Jewish community for targeted inspiration and personal support for what has thus far reached hundreds of teens and young adults, ranging in age between 13 and 28 years old, as well as their families.
In 2005, as a result of his work with Aish Tamid, Avi was recognized for "Outstanding Community Leadership" through the Community Research and Information Center and received various "Community Leadership" awards from the United States Senate, the United States House of Congress, California State Assembly, the County of Los Angeles, the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
In 2006, Rabbi Leibovic was the cover page of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal as one of the "Top 10 Mensches in Los Angeles" and, in January 2007, Aish Tamid was awarded "Best-of-the-Best in Jewish Outreach" by AJOP (Association of Jewish Outreach Programs) in a competitive and international selection process amongst hundreds of organizations.
Avi is an alumni of Neveh Zion Institute in Israel and has Bachelors of Science degree from Sy Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University in Manhattan, New York. In addition, Rabbi Leibovic received his Rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Mordechai Friedlander of Jerusalem, Israel in 1998.
Known to his students as a former avid heavy metal guitar player, Avi has literally gone "from Rocker to Rabbi". He has used his previous life experiences from the 'Heavy Metal Music Days' in the late 80's and early 90's to relate and inspire the most disenfranchised students in Los Angeles and across the country.
To date, he has volunteered and provided thousands of hours of one-on-one life coaching and crisis counseling for students and parents and is a sought-after public speaker at Jewish temples, schools and community events. The success of Aish Tamid and the unique approach developed by Avi for connecting with teems and young adults is currently being used as a model for other community programs that service "At-Risk Youth" and their families across America.
In pursuit of his passion to practice law in the area of public service, Avi selected CUNY School of Law for its outstanding third year clinical program and is admitted to practice Law in New York and New Jersey. In addition to his work with Aish Tamid, Avi works full-time at the law offices of Health Advocates which assists acute care public and private hospitals and their indigent and disabled patients in applying for Medi-Cal, Medicare, SSI, Victims' of Crime and other government programs.
With all of the above, Avi still manages to find time to raise his family of six (6) children. Together with his wife Rena, Avi is blessed to have triplet girls, another daughter, and two amazing boys.To date, the programming and services offered by Aish Tamid have reached over six hundred (600) teens and young adults (and their families), ranging in age between 13 and 28 years old, in the Los Angeles community. Under his vision, Aish Tamid has become one of the primary addresses and resources within the Los Angeles Orthodox Jewish community for targeted inspiration and individualized personal support for teens and young adults. For more information visit www.aishtamid.org or email avi@aishtamid.org.
Director - Rabbi Gavriel Hershoff MSW
Rabbi Hershoff has tremendous experience working with teenagers on all levels. In addition to spending four years at Yeshiva Ner Yaakov in Israel, where he specialized in working with young men 18-21 years old, he also is one of the most successful and popular Rebbes at YULA. He recently completed his educational requirements at UCLA for CADAC (Certification in Drug and Alcohol Counseling) and has already volunteered several hundred hours at Beit Teshuva. Rabbi Hershoff has successfully created new bonds with Aish Tamid students through the “Teen-at-the-Bean” workshops for success program, and provides individual one-on-one counseling opportunities for Aish Tamid Students.